Toolong

Agreed. ????????

Oh...wife would do both (small but busy) town driving and country (some bad roads!). ????

I will check out that link right now, DavisH.. ???? Meanwhile...preferences? I'd say Mazda first (Mazda 2 hatchback, or poss. CX3), Toyota second (Yaris hatchback), then Honda third (WR-V or City hatchback). Will check out the WR-V tomorrow. Who knows, it might blow me away! ????

You sound like a Honda person, Rimmer. Nothing wrong with that, of course. My wife is keen on Honda and the hatchback City appealed to her when she sat in one. Seen a few youtube reviews of them and they certainly have some nice features. For example, the rear-seat options are hugely practical, I think. Honda's put some thought to functionality. One gripe is their low height off the ground though. 13.5 cms. ????. Roads my way are very poor. The RS sounds as if it's maybe top spec or thereabouts. Plan to go to Honda tomorrow to check out the new WR-V model, so I might at the same time give the City hatchback a more thorough look over than I did before. Cheers! ????????

She'd just go ahead and buy her own car and I'd be left with a new, unused hunk of Mirage blocking up the driveway! ????

I believe the Certificate of Residence is valid for a month.

'Life is short. Enjoy something nice.' Living out my days here until bucket is kicked, this is a mantra I also live by. ???????????? (Which is why the little-lad in me would just like to sign up for a new Mazda 3 sedan in candy-apple red and hope the wife just forgets about driving altogether!! ????) But seriously, I note your point about Mazdas. ????

Yes, I'm open to going along to the Mitsu place and giving them a chance to dazzle me......but like you say, if my wife isn't keen.....then, 'end of'. ???? ????

???????? Yeah, maybe you're right.....but actually the divergence (so to speak) is perfectly fine for me and is actually very instructive for me, because I'm genuinely open to rethinking whether or not she DOES absolutely require a small hatchback. I still think 'yes', overall, she does.....but if say, a CX3 has, for her, enough of the characterisitics & 'feel' of a small, easily manouevreable vehicle, then it could be that it is a compromise that suits both her needs and mine. Just sayin' ???? Plus....hey, I'm enjoying talking about cars! ????????????

About the CX3 as possible suitable car for my wife (as well as myself)....yes, I'm thinking that could be right. ???? As for the other points you make about getting 'adjusted' right in the vehicle, I could not agree more!! ???????? Very wise advice. ???????? I have a thing about mirrors. I constantly tell my wife and other road users in the family that mirrors are your best friends on the road. I hope it sinks in. ???? Perfect seat adjustment. SO important, I agree. Thanks Eloquent Pilgrim. ????????

Yeah, I bet! ????

You're the first to mention the Mirage, henryford. I see a lot on the roads. Size-wise, for my wife, they fit the bill, perfectly, but my wife seems to not be keen. ???? Thanks for your comment henry. ????????

I couldn't tell you, Yellowtail. All my brochures are in Thai! But it's good to know this stuff. I'd be as interested to know this as your good self. ????

Sounds like quite a big boys shopping trip! God, I'm envious. ????????

Oh, my wife would LOVE a Fortuner, but even she concedes that it would be too big for her. (PS: consider this.....if you can drive a Fortuner around Bkk without any probs - and you will inevitably learn to do so like a master! - you can drive anything, anywhere! ????????????)

They are indeed lovely. ???????? But I think my pocket's not big enough for one of those. Not right now, anyway. But glad you like it. ????

By golly, they LOOK easy to drive! ???? I think it's about time I took a test drive to confirm it. ???? Thanks beau thai.

Yes, certainly too big for our needs. And I do want to save on gas!????

Interesting comment, spidermike! As far as size goes, for me (cos it's kind of a relative thing) the CX-30 gets very close to being too big.....on paper, anyway......and this is a point I'm starting to consider : 'What if it turns out that my wife CAN, with careful practise, drive a bigger vehicle?' Especially if the vehicle is as easy to drive and manouevre as well as you say. I think we both need to go back down to the Mazda place and spend more time in ALL the models. We only looked at the Mazda 2 last time. Thanks ????????

Interesting! Looks similar.....though bigger?.......to the Nissan Cube model that came out some years ago. What some might call the 'no-nonsense' look, which I mean, in this case, as a compliment. ????????

Interesting to read of your experiences with different vehicles as it relates to floods & suitability to environment, etc. 'Functionality and practicality' is also important to me. Plus of course reliability. But I find I have to be ready to compromise on that....to some extent.....as it relates to possible different concerns of my wife. I think she tends to evaluates vehicles in ways not always in accord with good sense! (Or what I see as 'good sense', to be fair!) ????

Do Bentley do small hatches? If so, game on! ????????

????.....the CX-3 does seem to be 'calling out to me' for a thorough look over and maybe a test drive. ???? (The high Mazda build-quality, in general, does seem to stand out, doesn't it. ????)

That's a nice simple formula to use! ????

Agreed!????